Really Bad Mixing and Mastering done cheap!!!

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dantell

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I learned my lesson................Cheap prices mean shit results. I thought I entered a budget studio that was well known, but I was wrong. I just got my tracks back from the idiot that mixed and mastered one song and posted it here. Of course it was ripped to shreds. I didn't like it either, and I was supplied with some pretty competent solutions to what the Moron did to butcher my song. Even I could do better with my cheap setup and Sonar. So I remixed the song myself, just to see the potential it might have. I plan on spending the money on professional mixing and mastering when I get the tracks done on all the songs. Here is the new version I mixed myself.
or go to www.balloonhed.com/music the crappy version done by a "Professional?" is at
Now he has also "mastered" it and it just bleeds "too much distortion" I just want the two compared and any comments would be appreciated. I don't claim to be a pro mixer or mastering engineer
 
What was the fee?

I'm unable to listen to the clips at the moment.
 
Teacher said:
i personally thought the 'pro' mix was better, but i'm listening on tiny computer speakers, so take that with a grain of salt
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Hmmm... I have to agree with Teacher -- the pro mix sounds much more cohesive and balanced (but a bit heavy-handed with the limiter.) By comparison yours sounds like a demo (and I listened after balancing the levels between the 2 mixes....)
 
i erased my reply cuz i felt my opinion wasn't to objective since i was listening on little computer speakers very low, but i guess it was accurate, also over compressed crap tends to sound decent when playing low on crappy computer speakers,

So basically I second guessed myself :D
 
Well, I must concur... I think the "pro" mix was better,
But, it also seems that the tracking was pretty poor...
Guitar and drums don't sound too good on either...
To be honest.
 
I agree with Bear and Teacher's missing post. The pro mix sounds better to me. I have no idea what you're looking for so maybe that's the problem. Maybe you want a cheap or lo-fi sound? The pro mix has much more clarity and punch. I felt the music lots more with the pro mix.
 
Disposable said:
But, it also seems that the tracking was pretty poor...
Guitar and drums don't sound too good on either...
To be honest.
Click to expand...
Yup........!
 
Disposable said:
Well, I must concur... I think the "pro" mix was better,
But, it also seems that the tracking was pretty poor...
Guitar and drums don't sound too good on either...
To be honest.
Click to expand...

What happened to the punch on the drums? kinda weak :( the "pro" mix does sound better, I would retrack the drums and guitar ;)
 
Yeah, the tracking. As Paula Abdul would say, the vocals are 'pitchy'. The two vocalist bit in the beginning, they need some distinction. There is a little in the pro mix and none in yours, but I'd track 'em with different mics, something. I'd lay down a keyboard track as a guide to stay on pitch and retrack.

The drums . . . the snare sounds like a trash can. Was it tuned? It's OK for garage (I have two snares, one I keep tuned like that just for garage), but your style is not garage. The pro mix tames it a little, but in your mix the garage snare is prominently displayed for all to hear and admire. There is no high end on the kit in your mix, the pro mix is better.

The guitar solo . . . well, hmmm, it's an '80s solo on a '00s song. Production wise, the reverb on the guitar is just silly. It's a totally different space than the rest of the track, and it sounds like the reverb on a cheap guitar amp.

The other guitars don't offend me as much as other people. They're pretty quiet anyway.
 
mshilarious said:
The drums . . . Was it tuned?
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Those drums are obviously sampled. ...or at least electronic. You don't need to tune them.

It almost sounds like the bass might be sampled as well. It is not very well defined so it’s hard to tell.

So maybe all this guy had to do was play guitar and sing. That should have made it easy to mix.
 
:eek: Serves me right for listening on computer speakers.

You know, in the entirely too long 7 months my studio has been down, I've learned something interesting. Good mixes sound good on bad speakers, but bad ones sound even worse.

Here's another observation. I can't hear anything below probably 200Hz on these. A bad monitoring setup will have problems below that, but I can't hear those problems, so it would follow that what I can hear should sound good no matter what it was mixed on.

Still I can't get over that snare. I swear they are doing piledriving outside my office (I wish I was making this up), and it fit right in.
 
hmmmm

if you were going for a "recorded in a big hole" sound i think both mixes are okay. the guitars could a have been mixed a little more forward in the mix, as it is the vocals take up most of the mix, that and the sampled snare. i agree, you cant polish a turd. but if my manhood was on the line and i HAD to give an answer, i would say the "pro" (cough) mix was better. i think the song shows potential in the new metal sound, or something. but the quality of the recording and the mix just dont let me get into it at all. if you dont first succeed... get better gear, a better studio, and a better engineer.
 
borntoplease said:
if you dont first succeed... get better gear, a better studio, and a better engineer.
Click to expand...
Wrong order -- better engineer, then better studio, then better gear....... ;)
 
true...

mixandmaster said:
Whew! I'm just glad this thread wasn't about me. ;)
Click to expand...

True...but he was asking for an honest opinion!

I think in both cases there's way too much reverb. Cool it off and then you can hear what's happening. The pro mix had more punch, but it did sound like it was peaking (and therefore getting distortion). I would take it back and say, "Hey, I'm not satisfied with the result - especially when it distorts, could you please re-master it, no extra charge?" You never know...

In the POSITIVE - I think the song has some potential and the timing sounded good. I enjoyed the dueling voices/background harmonies. Thanks for putting yourself out there for critique!

J
 
I was just waiting for all the opinions

First of all that snare was off of a $500 cheapo Lugwig import. I have recently purchased hydraulic heads for the snare and toms. I've also stuffed some more foam in the bass drum to deaden the ring a little. I'm also experimenting with those jellies to help dampen the sound. I think it's a compliment when someone says it sounds like a drum machine. I play along with a metronome and I am pretty picky about timing. I'm going to re-record the whole drum take and since that was recorded, I've become a little better and a little more creative. I will also go back to the guy that mixed and mastered and let him do his magic. The guitars are not doubled over from exact tracks. I played baritone guitar on one track and a regular sixer on the other. The Bass is a peavey 5 string. I've been learning to play with my fingers instead of a pick, I've noticed in the bass track has a clicking sound from my pick and I was adding a little too much verb in the bass line and a little distortion. Re-record I will!!! So the mastered version was better, I may stick with that. Thanks
 
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